Our first trip to Kruger was a day trip - 30 minutes into the park and the first animals (apart from impis) we saw, were two beautiful leopards. We were thrilled! I was hooked!!! .... until dear SO told me the dinner plate sized 'prints' I saw were made by an elephant, and the funny 'zig-zag pattern' was made by its trunk I was a nervous wreck! Expected an elephant behind every bush (still do today)

Couldn't stay away, though. We were on holiday at Blydepoort at the time and I clearly remember our next trip ... the following day!! We left VERY early and were one of the first cars at the gate. The birth of a long and happy relationship with the park..... 1987 - (hopefully for many years to come)

Next big Park discovery? The Forum! And Spotted Cat was 'born' 2007 - (hopefully many years to come)

"Happiness is like jam. You can't spread even a little without getting some on yourself."

It was definitely not my first visit, that being in 1950, but it was very funny at the time. It must have been around 1962 and wildlife in the camps were rife. One evening late my aunt, coming from the ablutions in her nightwear, was chatting to us through the screens on the stoep. Suddenly she cried "Voertsek, voertsek" (go away, go away) and tried to push the screen door open. There was an hyena sniffing at her feet and she was dancing and pushing alternately, never realising she should pull the door open. My mother helped her out of her misery by opening the door, but I do not think she went outside at night for the rest of the trip!On that same trip my cousin ran after what he thought was an hyena to chase it away and it turned out to be a lioness.If I think what a commotion the leopard in Tambotie caused, we must have been very brave!

The world is truly round and seems to start and end with those we love...Nelson MandelaDecember '12????1-6 May '13

Oh I remember that road and bridge well We stayed there at LS on Honeymoon ... and had a meal or two at the very old restuarant.. long since gone.. Well its still there but not used for anything . Must really look up old photographs. No tarred roads then

Yes VGS , including a nice bottel of red wine . And we stayed in a small rondavel , with just a bed in it , and it also cost almost nothing , but we had to make our rfeservations 11 months ahead as soon as bookings opened , and you took whatever was available . Our daughter was 3 months old , and lay in the carrycot on the backseat , and just about every time we saw something exiting , then she started to howl . Real fun days they were

Tread softly , and let your departure not be spoiled by the damage of your arrival

My first post on this site. Just wanted people to share their experiences and memories of the Kruger National Park. My father has been going to the Park now every year for 76 years! He is 86 years old and his first trip to Kruger was to Satara in 1934.

He says there was only one circle of huts then with a very low (non-electric!) fence, and the water was still brak. No shop or restaurant.

I will be bringing him back to Satara at the end of November this year. He is already very excited for another memory lane trip.

Anyone have other info about the camps back then or memories? Anyone been going to the Park longer than this?

Sorry no of old but my first trip to Kruger was in 1970. First camp was Pretorious Kop @ R35.00 a bungalow 2 people sharing per night complete with toilet shower and a working aircon.

My Dads car was a Valiant with a beeeeg boot as I remember so everything fitted.

I also remember our first lion sighting on Ellof Street. A lioness with a treated wound behind her left shoulder covered in gengin violet. Was rather scary as she was close to the car and the back window had come off its winding mechanism and could not close. You could count the ticks eyes not just the ticks, she was that close.

We also had a rule in those days which is still observed by our whole family today (40 years on) that no car radio`s were allowed to be played once we had entered the park.

alf wrote:My brother has found an old map from my dad from 1967. There they mentioned that the north of the park from Letaba up were closed for public during summer months. I wonder why

In the little book Kruger Q & A's 1981 edition (up for auction btw) It states, and I quote:-Q. Are all the camps open throughout the year?A. In the past only certain camps were open during the summer months because the number of visitors to the Park did not justify the cost of keeping more camps open. It was then planned that the whole Park would be open all year round from March 1977.

alf wrote:My brother has found an old map from my dad from 1967. There they mentioned that the north of the park from Letaba up were closed for public during summer months. I wonder why? Maybe heat??

My AA road atlas of 1969 says that the whole of Kruger was open from 1 May to 15 October. However only P/kop, Skukuza and Olifants remained open all year. Strange enough, Satara was not included. The roads and malaria were the problem.

It appears that the northern section of Kruger was not considered to be worth visiting. My atlas shows Kruger as part of the Eastern Transvaal and then has a separate page for the southern section, with more detail, but no separate page for the northern section.